An Occurrence
by Jewelie-Anna98
Summary: Eren is a normal boy, mostly, but there's one thing different about him, and soon to be two; when he meets a mysterious man and is subjected to an experiment that makes him a soldier, and he is recruited into the Resistance, a top secret organization that is filled with spies and warriors to fight against Hitler's Army of WW2. I do not own Picture or anything from AoT. :)
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Attack on Titan or Shingeki no Kyojin but i do own the story plot and original characters.

* * *

An Occurrence

The alarm buzzed that high blaring noise that I hated so much, and it was a good thing too, or else I'd never be able to get up. Mornings were not my thing.

"Eren, don't you dare shut off that alarm. I want to see you open this door before you touch it."

"Yes, _mom._" I emphasized the word. The women standing behind the door wasn't really my mom but she sure as heck tried to be.

"Eren…" Ouch, that tone, she almost had it down. That patronizing, endearing motherly tone that made you listen to anything she had to say, but like I said, _almost _had it down. So I took my time, throwing back the covers, and finding both my slippers. Stretching way longer than I needed too and then making my bed, all for the sake of wasting time. All the while that stupid alarm was screeching. Fed up with its sound, I hit the snooze button.

_Bad _idea.

Where my face would've been, was now a bucket of cold water, and where the rest of me would've been, was a slender, raven haired woman, with her bright red scarf I had never seen her without since I gave it to her.

"Morning, Mikasa." I said with a smirk before I quickly moved away from the bed and was now standing in the doorway to the adjoining bathroom between our rooms. Why she never stormed in through there was_ beyond _me.

"That's not something to laugh at Eren. All you have now is a soiled bed."

"And _whose_ fault is that?" I shot back.

"I told you not to touch that alarm."

"Whatever, Mikasa. I'm taking a shower, alright? I won't go back to bed." That seemed to satisfy her enough and after a pointed look at the bed, she left the room saying, "Make sure that gets outside."

The shower water was cold and never really got hot anyway, but it's not like I have anyone to impress. In and out in five minutes with only soap to wash body and hair. Good enough for me. Grabbing the first thing I found in the closet, not even bothering to look in the mirror, and grabbing my backpack from the chair by the door, I rushed out to meet my best friend at the coffee shop around the corner where we always met for breakfast.

* * *

Stepping in the small, homey coffee shop was the sharp smell of caffeine that found its way into my nostrils along with the sweet smell of cream pastries, donuts, cake, and cookies underneath it. I often imagined if this is what heaven smelled like. I trailed my eyes through the quiet shop until they found the small, blonde man I was looking for named Armin.

He and I had known each other since we were kids, and he had always had a place in my heart. He belonged there along with Mikasa, and my mother and father. My family, he was my family. He knew that more than I cared to admit too. Striding over to the booth he occupied, I grabbed a small lock of his shoulder length hair, and I pulled and continued walking past. Sliding into my seat, Armin gave me a look of reproach but when I returned my most innocent smile, he grinned at me.

"I need to stop falling for that one…"

I laughed, "Made you look again, huh?"

"You're always telling me I'm gullible." He said in a matter of fact way.

"Only slightly." I couldn't keep the grin off my face. Armin was always that way. Too trusting, too eager to please, but it made him who he was. It made him into a person to love and cherish and protect, but don't be fooled by his girlish face. He may not have muscles, but words were his weapons; something I'd never learn to control.

"Hurry up and order, Eren. We're going to be late because of you." Waving down the waiter, I got two apple turnovers and a coffee, adding two packs of sugar and cream. Drinking coffee black is just plain disgusting. It's _way _too bitter. Armin had long since finished his breakfast since he always got here long before me.

I wolfed down my food, left a twenty on the table and grab my bag from the space beside me. "Ready?"

"Yep" The blonde grinned at me, and waving good bye to the man behind the counter, left to his heaven and my torture, school.

* * *

"How you like this is beyond me." I muttered to Armin in our biology class, but I guess muttering wasn't quite enough. The blond/brunette freak of nature in front of me said loudly. "Shut up, Jeager. I'm trying to listen to Miss Hanji's lesson."

The woman at the front of the room turned sharply around; showing off her square glasses and that sweet smile you never saw leave her face, even when she was mad. "Is there a problem, Mr. Kirschtein?"

"Miss Hanji, Eren is distracting me from your lesson."

"Eren, do you have something you'd like to share? Your opinion is valued here." Her smile widened but by her eyes I could tell that my opinion wasn't valued at all. I floundered for a logically excuses, knowing I had already taken too long to explain myself; then the voice that saved my life a thousand times, saved it again.

"Eren was asking me to explain to him what _Embryology _was, Miss. Hanji. You haven't given us a word bank for this week."

"Oh, that's right. Thank you for reminding me Armin." She held up a stack of papers, "Eren, hand these out to everyone." She set the papers on her desk and as they started slipping toward the floor, I hurried over to catch them.

The snicker of a low voice made me look up, and I found myself in the presence of a man. He screamed authority, and I almost felt like I was bowing at his feet. He wasn't that tall, at my 5'5", I was almost a head taller than him. He walked toward the center of the class, stepping on my hand and half the papers. When I glared at him, his eyes slid down to look at me and I drew a breath. His pale gray orbs moved and swirled like smoke, enticing and deadly all at once.

"You got a problem, _brat_?" His voiced snapped me out of my diagnoses of him.

"Brat?" But he had moved on, stepping up to Hanji and whispering something to her. I had gathered all the papers off the floor and was bent at the waist, when again the man past me; I froze at his proximity.

The clothes he wore weren't expensive. A simple white dress shirt and black pants falling loosely on his hips were paired with a pristine pair of black combat boots. He wore some weird version of a tie that should have come out of old France by the look of it.

"Do you like kneeling and bowing or are you actually going to get off the fucking floor?" The smooth darkened tone of his voice rolled over me and down my spine, straightening my body without my own command.

Mikasa's low growl and Armin's small intake of breath told me I wasn't the only one that reacted to this man, but my reaction was different than theirs. Looking down at the small man, I wanted to know his name, I wanted to _know_ him. He returned my stare with a pricing gaze. "I feel so sorry for you, Hanji, having to deal with these fuck heads every day." He drawled in a bored voice, but he eyes said something different.

Not that I could read it, a sharp pain shot through my foot. The man had stepped close enough to dig his heel into my toe, making it clear that I was the _'fuck head'_ he was referring to. I could feel my eyes widening and my body drawing back and I let myself. When he released my foot I tumbled onto the floor. I think he almost smiled, but what was there was gone in the blink of an eye, recomposed into his bored features.

"Oh, it's not so bad, Levi." But the man had left the room, not giving anyone a second glance or even giving Miss Hanji a parting word, but _I _had gotten something: his name.

Levi.

* * *

"Eren, you should really get off the floor." Miss Hanji said, looking at me almost pitifully. She stepped forward and offered me her hand. I took it and when she pulled me up, she didn't let go of my hand. "Don't worry about it; he has that sort of affect on people. And besides he likes play-things." She smiled at me and I knew by 'he' she meant Levi, the short, dark eyed, bored looking man who decided to kick me on my ass.

"How am I a play-thing?"

"Oh, I'll let you figure that out on your own." Her maniacal laugh echoed through the room and I jerked away from her, but I knew what she meant. Levi liked to make people confused and fumble for themselves, that's what she meant, it had to be.

I could feel my cheeks flush and I bowed my head and handed out the papers, making sure Jean got the worst of the bunch. I returned to my seat, and tried to get my heart to calm from its frantic rhythm.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The cold afternoon air pierced through my jacket and I pulled it tighter around myself. I was headed to work, as it was a Thursday and I worked at the Children's Hospital, helping the nurses and playing with the kids. Distracting them when they got shots or reading stories. I didn't help with the babies though. I did on my first day and nearly dropped one of her head. They cried and wailed and I had no idea what to do with them, but the older ones I could deal with. After all I had had the same experiences.

When I was 10, I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure. It's where your heart isn't strong enough to pump blood through your body. I was in the later stages and I would've died if my mother hadn't given me her heart. She had sacrificed her life for me, as she always said she would for me or Mikasa. My father was devastated, insisting that we could find a different donor in time, but we couldn't.

Four days after my diagnoses, I went into Cardiac Arrest and we had no donor, my mother made her final decision to give me her heart.

Two months later, through grief or mental disorder, my father killed himself and tired to take me and my sister along with him. No one close to us knew the details of that night. No one except us, Mikasa and I, not even Armin.

Now five years later, Mikasa and I lived by ourselves. Our 'guardian', Mrs. Smoots lived in the apartment across the hall but other than that, we lived a normal life; at least as normal as we could. I wasn't going to complain, I like my life. I just wish something _more_ would happen.

"Eren, hurry up!" A brunette with a sandwich in her hand ran past me. "We're gonna be late!"

"Sasha!" I turned to see a smaller gray haired boy running after Sasha. He slowed to a walk, bent over his knees. "I don't know why I even try." I smiled at his joke, Sasha was incredibly hard to keep in check, and I don't know how he does it. "She's right, you know. We are going to be late."

I checked my phone. "Yeah, let's get going." Breaking in to a jog, turning the corner and going down the next street, we came to a pristine white building, with flowers, and trees, and pretty landscape.

There were children with crutches and wheelchairs, some excepting small bouquets of flowers finally being able to leave. To be back to their full health and be children again, I knew that feeling. With my mother's heart, I could be normal again; I could run and play sports. I never had to worry again. That's why I loved it here; to help these kids. If I didn't do anything else in my life, I'd be glad I'd done this much.

Stepping inside, I walked up to the front desk, signing on the volunteer papers.

"Eri-Chan!" A bright pink bundle crashed into my side, twinning her stick-like arms around my hips.

"Hello, Yui-Chan." Returning her fierce hug, "And how are you, Yui-Chan?"

"Eri-Chan! Mommy's coming to see me soon. She said she'd bring me a present too!" She grabbed my hand and started pulling me down the hall towards the play room.

"Later, Eren." Connie waved and headed in the other direction. Connie was actually becoming a doctor, it was good for him. He was passionate and could keep his head. He'd make a good doctor.

Yui had said something I hadn't heard and was shaking my hand fiercely, trying to regain my attention. "I'm sorry Yui, what did you say?"

"I want you to be here when I see mommy. Won't you come, Eri-Chan? I want her to see you!" I had been taking care of Yui since she came to the hospital. She was only four and her mother had taken good care of Yui.

Even though she was a recovering addict, when Yui was diagnosed with cancer her mother couldn't pay the bills. She was still trying to get out of debt because of her drug years, and now she had even more. She had a job at a small bake shop on the other side of town. Her boss was kind enough to let her stay at her house as well, but she couldn't keep up with the bills. Social Services had interceded, Yui was now considered an orphan, and her mother was allowed to see her only so often. Days like this were Yui's happiest, and I was glad to see her happy.

"Are you sure, Yui-Chan? It's been a long time since you saw your mom."

"It's fine! Mommy said she wanted to meet you!" She gave me her biggest Bambi-like eyes.

I groaned "Well, I guess I can't turn that down, can I?"

"Yay! Thank you Eri-Chan!"

* * *

Flopping back into a hard hospital chair, I breathed a sigh of relief.

Finally all the kids were in bed. I loved the kids I took care of, but something about bed time set them all on a rampage. Some through tantrums, crying and wailing, others ran and made you chase them, and _refused_ to stay in bed once you got them there and others tried to bribe you. How they were all so smart did _not _seem like a good thing, but then there were others like Yui. If you told them it was bed time, the only thing they asked for was a story, or water, or being tucked in to bed.

Yui amazed me at bed time. She always did her best to help me put the kids into bed. She was stern if she needed to be and kind to others. At her small age of eight, she transformed into a lovely, doting mother to the children who shared a room with her, and she was the first to get up and the last to bed. Also, Yui would hold them when they were crying and my hands were full and sung away their nightmares. It made me love her more.

One night, when I was tucking her into bed, I asked: "Yui, why do you take care of them like you do? That's my job and the nurses."

"I know Eri-Chan, but you can only do so much, and all the kids here are without mothers and I still have one. So why do they get to go without being loved?" She smiled sweetly at me, and I wondered where she got all her wisdom.

"I love you as well, Eri-Chan. I know your momma's gone too." She hugged me, and planted a warm kiss on my cheek. Then she was yawning and blinking sleepily, so I laid her down and tucked the blankets around her. It wasn't long before there was only soft breathing coming from the room. I smoothed back her hair that was finally growing back in, just like my mother had done to me for years, and kissed her sweetly on the temple. "And I love _you,_ Yui."

"Long night?" I smiled at the raven-haired who had sat beside me.

"Yeah. Am I late?" My head rolled on my shoulders so I could see her.

"Yes, but it's alright. I know how much these kids are to you."

I smiled. "Yeah, they do mean a lot to me."

She then stood. "Come on, Eren. Let's go home."

"Kay. Just let me get my stuff." I walked to the other side of the room and grabbed my backpack, then jogged back to catch up with Mikasa.

Stepping outside into the night air, I pulled my jacket on. I walked with Mikasa home every day, and it was never awkward, and there was no need for words between us. It was comfortable, this silence. She came back from the book store she worked at and me from the hospital; both were only a couple blocks from home, and it was shorter if you went through a certain neighbor. Which we usually did, but it was one of the criminal zones; with gangs and drug dealers and that sort of stuff. Both weren't unknown to us, Mikasa and I had taken down full gangs before; leaving them nice and pretty for the police to pick up.

Walking down the street I noticed Mikasa was fiddling with her scarf, the one I had given her when I saved her from a particular neighborhood like this one. I was about to ask her what was wrong, when a chilling scream split the cold night air. I turned my head sharply towards the sound when it was cut off abruptly. Without looking back at Mikasa, I ran toward where the sound once was and I knew she would follow me.

I was running _fast._

Turning sharply around corners, skirting boxes and discarded trash, and cars, and head darting left and right while looking for the source of the scream.

"Oomph!"

The sound of a sack of flour hitting the floor came from the same direction and a sharp but short squeal told me we were close.

"Gah, stop it!" Again the sound of flour hitting the ground was accompanied by the words of a man.

I made a sharp turn around the next corner, skidding to a halt when a large pile of crates blocked my way. Another _'oomph'_ and a groan came from the other side as I was scrambling up the side of the blockage now.

"Mikasa, find a different way around! He might get away!"

Still scrambling.

I then slipped and falling several feet before finding purchase again.

Scrambling.

Finding the top, I pulled myself over and heard another whimper, though the sound of man or women could not be distinguished.

Standing up, I looked down on the scene.

There was the woman curled up against the wall, hand over her mouth, and staring. I followed her gaze to another figure that was moving abruptly and in taunt, jerking movements. The sound of the flour sack, again and again. I could not tell what the strange figure was and so I started down the pile of crates and falling more than climbing.

Now being closer to the scene, I could tell that the figure was not one but two. A man was leaning over another person, and the sound of the flour bag now had a more reasonable explanation. The man was punching the other. He picked up the other by its shirt front, and the slightly raised position exposed both their faces to the moon.

A man whose face was bloody and swelling, along with a black eye that was already forming. Then there was the other, the attacker.

It was Levi.

* * *

"What the-! Levi?!"

Those gray eyes found me, and stared intently at me from a crossed abandoned parking lot. He straightened up, and I realized I stood in the shadow of the building next to me. I stepped farther into the parking lot, and Levi's eyes grew darker. Why? Did he remember me? Was he even trying too?

A bright light came on, shinning down from some sort of scaffolding. "CUT! Cut, cut, _cut_! What the fuck is this KID DOING ON MY SET?"

I took a step back as a tall and lanky figure was striding toward me, but his voice was dangerous. He walked in lengthy strides, almost cat like to an unknown tune. When he stood in front of me, I had to look up substantially. Closer up, he wasn't quiet as lanky and his shoulders were wider and his eyes blazed with a fire I was afraid would come out of his mouth if he spoke.

"Set?" I asked and his eyes rolled.

"Yes," He seethed the word. "It's a movie set,_ my _movie set. Which _you_ have so rudely interrupted."

"I'm sorry but I heard the scream-"

"And you automatically assumed that someone was in trouble?" My eyes turned to the raven man who looked the complete opposite to the tall blond in front of me and was walking towards us. Even on the other side of the lot, his voiced carried precisely. "Who made you the _knight-in-shinning armor_?"

"N-no one, but-"

He was closer now, and a spicy scent rolled off his skin. Something grew in the pit of my stomach but I was too occupied by the onslaught in front of me.

"Exactly. So why don't you skedaddle on home, brat. Your heroism has been noted."

I flushed. "I'm not a brat. What are you doing out here anyway? This is the worst part of town."

"You don't listen well do you? Like he said," nodding toward the man next to him. "We're filming."

"Filming what?"

"You're just plain stupid." He voice was credulous. "We're filming a movie, fuck head."

"Why here? Don't you have like, fake sets?"

The taller man spoke again. "_Fake sets_?! Why would a great director like _me_ use _fake sets_?! Where would I be if I had done that my whole career?"

"I don't know. It just seems more reasonable than coming to the worst side of town. And I only came running over here because of that scream. You guys should know better. What if it was the police who found you and not me?"

"All police in the area have been informed that this block would be shut off for filming, and if you'd come from the front, instead of over the wall. You would've seen all the cameras."

"Eren!" Mikasa voice ringed out through the parking lot. Looking past the cameras to the sidewalk, I saw Mikasa. It looked like she wasn't allowed to pass through the front. I looked back to Levi.

"Go on kid, you've caused enough trouble." I didn't know what to say. I had been wrong but it was a complete accident. How was I supposed to know they were filming some movie? What if it was someone like Mikasa who had been screaming? Lost, afraid, running for their life, their parents killed and them running from the murderers? If I hadn't found her, who knows what would've happened to her.

"Sorry." I mumbled and turn to leave, but someone else stopped me. A short ginger haired woman with her matching brown-gold eyes that made her appearance plain and unnoticeable.

"Your name's Eren, right? Eren Jeager?"

"Yeah. What's' it to you?" I asked and pushed past her. I was _done _here. I'd already made a fool of myself and I didn't need to make myself more embarrassed.

The women caught up with my long strides. "I just wanted to know and the woman who called your name. She's Mikasa Ackerman? Am I correct again?" She asked.

"Yes." Was all I replied. I probably should have wondered why she knew our names, but I wanted to be able to leave with some pride. I'd ask if I ever saw her again, which was unlikely.

She had stopped walking with me after I had confirmed our names. I walked through the cameras, assistants and make-up artists; by passing rolling rods of clothes. He was right. If I _had _gone through the front, I would've realized it was just a movie set.

Stepping under the rope barrier, I could hear them restarting the scene. The woman's chilling scream was repeated perfectly and instead of watching, as most of the small crowd did, I swept my eyes along them to find Mikasa.

Our eyes locked, and there was amusement in them. Stepping closer to her, I could see her biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Oh shut up." I had to smile at my stupidity too, but it didn't soothe the bite of Levi's words. I wasn't a hero. I didn't have super strength or awesome technology and lots of money. I was me, Eren. The boy who couldn't survive on his own. The boy who had his mother's heart keeping him alive. I couldn't even keep myself alive. How could I save others?


	3. Chapter 3

Omg, im sorry guys! I promise I will get better at this. so Enjoy thats all i have to say!

* * *

Chapter 3

Friday came and pasted with nothing eventful and Saturday I slept, seeing as it's the one day that I can. I had planned to get up early Sunday, for Yui's sake.

"Eren! Eren, get up. We're supposed to see Yui today!" The frantic pounding on my door made me bolt upright. I glanced at the clock, 8:55. I had _five_ minutes to make it to the hospital. The supervisor had been on my case about my tardiness lately. He was sure to be waiting for me by the door and when I wasn't there, he'd fire me!

Jumping out of bed, I yelled to Armin, "Come in!"

Skipping a shower, I grabbed a fresh shirt and some jeans off the floor. I didn't bother with socks. I was hopping on one foot towards the door, when Armin came rushing in, colliding with me. Throwing us _both_ to the floor.

"Ugh, Armin when did you get so heavy?" He was on top of me, his elbow rammed up into my ribs somehow.

"Oh, sorry Eren." He gently rolled off of me and onto his feet, offering me a hand up. I took it and pulled him along out the door and we were running though the streets towards the hospital.

* * *

We skidded through the automatic doors, panting hard. The people in the room turned to stare, but broke into small smiles and laughs when they saw it was me. I was notorious for my lateness, so it wasn't surprising when I burst through the doors. I often had races with the healed patients as a 'final test' of their wellness and was the first sought out when I kids wanted to play tag or hide-and-seek.

Now that I had caught my breath I searched for the nearest clock, 9:02. Yes! It wasn't 9:05! I was safe! I strode forward like a free man fresh out of prison, signing once again on the volunteer sheet. As a frequent volunteer, the hospital decided to put together a special fund and was technically training me as a pediatric nurse. I was expected to come in for certain hours and was paid for those hours like a normal faculty member, even though I was only 17. It was their way of getting around all the proper terms and conditions. The hospital was under-staffed as well, so it was good for both of us.

"Good morning, Eren." The quiet, angelic like women who always manned the front desk spoke to me. "Almost didn't make it in today. A good thing to, here comes Mr. Pixis." I turned from Krista to stare at the sweet smiling man who had stepped from the elevator. Why all my superiors smiled sweetly to hide their anger made me think that there was something I needed to figure out about myself.

"Good morning, Eren. I trust you've made it on time today?" His smooth smile did not waver as he spoke to me. All that gave him away was his stiff posture.

"Good morning, Pixis-sama." I smiled at him my brightest, "I would never miss a Sunday; they're my favorite days to come in."

"That is duly noted, Mr. Jeager. I hope you won't miss any in the future with that attitude." He continued down the hallway, going to do whatever it is that directors do.

"How is Yui's condition, Krista?" Armin had come up to the front desk to sign into the volunteer sheets as well and struck up a conversation with Krista.

"She's doing really well. After her few treatments of chemotherapy all of her lung cancer looks to be completely stopped. She'd scheduled for release within two weeks." Armin and I beamed at this. Yui meant as much to him as she did to me. I would wait for the day I could race here down the street happily, but everything is bittersweet, once Yui is released the likelihood of us seeing her again was small.

She was an orphan now, when she's released it wouldn't be her mother to pick her up, it would be strangers who would take her to an orphanage to wait for someone to pick her. And she would get picked, I had no doubt about that, she was everything you could ask for in a daughter. Caring, responsible, smart, and she was fearless. The chemotherapy process isn't that advanced. The drugs are injected into your blood stream and then the doctors see if you have side-effects or if the treatment actually worked. Chemotherapy is known for having painful side-effects; fatigue, blood disorders and nervous system problem are the most common side effects. Yui once spent two days bed ridden because of excruciating pains shooting through her body whenever she moved, but she never cried or screamed. The days she sat there were the calmest days in the hospital. Her aura moved and spread like a wave leaving no one untouched by it. The children read books all day and I never heard any sort of emergency or critical situation. All the while Yui lay in her bed and stared out the nearby window. The faraway look in her eyes and her small smile, made you believe that she was in no pain at all, and that was the point.

"She's one tough tot, that's for sure."

We turned from Krista to see a familiar man, but he was dressed differently than we were use to.

"Reiner!" Armin exclaimed.

"Hey, kids." He ruffled Armin's hair.

"Reiner, what are you doing here, I thought you were in Germany." I stepped closer to him; he was warring business attire, a light blue button down shirt and tan kakis, but the addition of a longer hair cut slicked back, made us do a double take.

"I was, it was pretty easy over there, and training wasn't as hard as I thought. So I finished up real quick and came back here."

Krista stood, "Really, the situation's under control?"

He inclined his head to her then his eyes glanced toward Armin and me, a warning.

Krista, who had looked ecstatic, drooped slightly, her smile forced. "Well it's a good thing you're back Reiner. We need more hands around here."

"It's so weird to see you in clean clothes Reiner." The tension was thick in the air, but I tried to ignore it, whatever was happing here I knew I couldn't get it out of Reiner, but Krista was a different question. So I switched their focus, pretending I didn't feel the tension and that I hadn't noticed Reiner's quite response.

"Not so." Reiner's family had a long blood line of farmers, so he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. Before he left for Germany you almost never saw him clean, he worked as a construction worker, earning money for the college he went to. Some sort of technician school.

"You're right Eren, it's a nice change." Armin was grinning at me.

"Yeah, maybe next he'll actually take a bath."

Reiner's eyebrows drew down towards his eyes and a small twitch appeared next to his lip, his voiced dropped from its playful tone, "You two…."

"Oh-oh, let's go Armin." I grabbed him by his wrist, tugging him down the hall and with the profanity being spouted behind us, I couldn't help but laugh, a deep contagious sound that had Armin laughing and running with me.

* * *

We stopped outside the nursery room, bent over our knees.

"Is it always like this?" Armin said between gasps.

"Nah, there's usually a little more running, and we haven't even seen the kids yet." I laughed at Armin's groan of displeasure, "Don't worry it's not _so_ bad."

I opened the door to the nursery and the sound exploded from the room. "Okay, it _can _be bad."

Three little girls ran up to me, "Eri-Chan, Let's play!" They tugged at my shirt and coat, plugging me into the room.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, girls. I have a new friend to introduce today." I waved back at Armin, gesturing for him to come farther into the room.

"Everyone, this is Armin, my best friend, he's come to play with us today." Armin slyly walked into the room as the children cheered their pleasure.

"Okay, now everyone let's all tell Armin our names and how old we are okay? One by one and don't rush."

Armin had knelt to the kids' level, probably remembering names, ages, and faces as soon as the picture fit together. At least he wouldn't have my problem the first day, it was so hard for me to remember all nine of their names, and two weeks ago, before they left, I had a set of twins to take care of too. That had been bad.

"Eren, where's Yui? I thought I'd be able to pick her out with all you've told me about her."

"I don't know Armin; I'll go ask a nurse. Will you be okay for five minutes?"

"Sure, this can't be so hard." He smiled at me reassuringly and the smile I returned turn into a mischievous one once my back had turned. He had _no _idea _what_ those kids could do.

Stepping out into the hall, I started walking toward the more 'hospital' part of the building. I hated this part of the hospital. It reeked of chemicals and bleach. It brought back memories too, not like painful gut-wrenching memories, but memories that made my heart speed up and my breath catch in my lungs.

I could hear my father in the back of my head. "She didn't deserve to die! You did, you worthless piece of shit! And now you have her heart! The heart that I loved! You don't deserve it! You should've died!

I don't remember what happened after that. He had me by the throat at that time. If he hadn't been making so much noise, then the neighbors wouldn't have shown up. I'd be dead.

I don't hate him though. He had gone crazy with grief, we all had. The loss of my mother had been devastating. It was so hard to fill the hole in my heart that see had left. But Yui had filled it. She was everything to me, just as my mother was. My mother had given me everything, even her heart, and I would do that for Yui without a doubt. I didn't deserve the heart I held but I could try. Try for the parent-less child I loved so much.

I was trying to calm my racing heart, when I was a flash of short strawberry blonde hair through the pane of glass. I stopped and peered through the glass.

There was Yui, in her bright pink dress, it brought out her emerald eyes, a vibrant green against the white pallor of her skin. She was alone.

I stepped through the door and Yui looked up at me but a smile isn't on her lips where it belongs, she's far from smiling. I see her lip tremble. I was by her side immediately and had my arms warped around her. I felt her clutch my shirt and a slight shake began in her shoulders. Crying, my Yui. My fearless, wonderful Yui was crying. A small part of me said _she broke; she finally stopped trying to be strong._ And I knew that small part of me was right.

She was only nine, this little girl who never knew her father and rarely got to see her mother. She must have felt so alone, just like she had been in this room, but I had found her and I would continue to find her. I would never leave her alone.

"Shh, I know Yui, I know it's hard. You've been so strong, it's okay. You can let it out."

Her shaking became worse and I could feel a damp patch forming on my shirt. I sat on the cot next to her and pulled her into my lap, we sat there. I murmured to her and rocked her in my arms. I didn't know how long we sat there but I was never letting go.

* * *

When we finally left the room we occupied, I sent Yui to the bathroom to wash her face of the dried tears. We walked back to the play room in comfortable silence.

I had probably seen a side of Yui no one ever had. I wonder if she regrets it. Her steps were sluggish and her shoulders were hunched forward. She _looked_ broke.

I stopped and looked down at her and after a moment she finally looked up at me.

"Eri-Chan," she tugged at my hand. "Come on."

But instead of walking forward, I picked her up and started running.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Yui hung on to me as we flew down the streets. She had protested when I first picked her up, but after I had told her to be patient, she put her head in the crook of my neck and was silent.

Jogging through the empty parking lot of my school, I headed towards the back to the door to the janitors that was _always_ left open.

I stepped inside and looked down the hall. It was silent as the grave.

"Yui, I'm going to put you down now. Be very quiet."

She nodded into my shoulder and I knelt down to put her on her feet. I took her hand and led her down the hall.

"Eri-Chan, what are we doing?"

"You'll see." I smiled down at her but the one she returned wasn't nearly as big as it should be.

I led her upstairs and down another hall, and into our school music room. I pulled two chairs out and set them facing each other in the center of the dark room. Beckoning Yui to take a chair, I started towards a different door in the room. Before stepping inside, I turned back to Yui.

"Close your eyes."

She looked at me with confusion on her face and tilted her head endearingly to the side.

"Don't ask questions, just do it."

She seemed to debate this but her eyes closed all the same.

I walked into the small other room where folders and spare instruments were kept and ready to be rented or repaired. Heading towards a large cabinet, I was glad I had worn my lighter jacket today or else I wouldn't have the key to open its doors.

I opened the cabinet and pulled out the smooth instrument. Its dark red color had white splotches by the hole in its center, and its slender black and gold neck leading from the '8' like shape of its body fit perfectly in my hand. I fluttered my hands over the six strings and even though it had nicks and scratches, a pure bell sound rang through the room.

My guitar.

I had been learning to play for several weeks now and I was doing pretty well. I hadn't told anyone. Mikasa thought I was working extra days at the hospital when I was really practicing. I wanted it to be a surprise but I need to do this first. I had recently learned a song that was sure to cheer Yui up.

Taking a moment to run through the fingerings, I went back to the other room and quietly sat in front of Yui. Her eyes were still closed but her hands fidgeted in her lap, I smiled and struck the first chord.

_You are my sunshine, my only sunshine_

A smile spread a crossed Yui's face and her lids opened to show those brilliant green irises alight with happiness. A pink flush rose up her neck and she giggled.

_You make me happy when skies are gray._

My voice breaks on _'happy' _and Yui laughs with earnest.

_You'll never know just how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away._

I think that's how the words go. I hope that's how the words go. Whatever the words may be, I don't care.

Yui was laughing and saying: "Again, again." I chuckled at her and started again. At some point, as I was singing, Yui and I left the school. Singing at the top of our lungs: _'You Are My Sunshine.'_

And I had my sunshine back

* * *

Walking into the hospital, we were met with well, a lot of noise. Some people were yelling at me for spiriting Yui away. Others were trying to pull Yui away from me but I fought back and pulling her protectively into my arms. Then there were people who stood around the edge of the room and glared at me, but not with any real fire. They were no threat.

It was the others who were dangerous. I had taken Yui out without clearance, and I had no family relations with her either, which made it worse. I had technically _'kidnapped' _Yui but even still. I pushed through the small mob in the lobby, determined to get Yui through this without scaring her.

I probably stepped on toes and jabbed people with my elbows, but I didn't care; they were nothing. As far as I was concerned, anything they had to say could be shoved up their own asses.

"QUIET!" I suppressed a smile. That voice was probably made at me, but at the moment she didn't like the noise and she wasn't one to take her anger out on others. Therefore, the crowd was but a barrier to her real target.

The crowd parted like the red sea letting Moses through, but instead of a godly apostle, Mikasa was at the other end.

Striding forward to reach me and pushing one man out of her way, the smaller women glared up at me, but for all my height she towered over me.

"Eren, what the _hell _were you thinking? Taking Yui out like that. Give her to me."

I stared at her for a moment. I couldn't get into a fight with her, not here, not now. I had just cheered Yui up, but Mikasa always got a rise out of me. I don't know if it's intentional but something about the way she talked set a fire to my anger and then soaked it in lighter fluid. I just couldn't help but become offensive.

I took a deep breath, calming and bracing myself for the likely onslaught I was about to receive.

"No."

"_No?_" Oh-oh, the mother tone, _hold your ground Eren._

"No. She's fine, alright? She's not hurt. I just needed to get something to cheer her up. She was having a bad day."

She crossed her arms over her chest, and her toe started to tap. "And why did you have to take her out of the hospital to do that?"

"To get this." I pulled my guitar from around my back, careful not to hit Yui with it.

"A guitar?" The raven's eye grew wide and you could see the purple hint to her black irises.

"Yeah."

"But you don't even know how to play."

"I've been learning on the days I told you I was working extra. I wanted it to be a surprise but I needed Yui to smile more."

I looked down at the small blond in my arms. She was smiling easy now. I know she could tell there was tension in the room, but she was the type to sacrifice herself so everyone would smile. She turned toward Mikasa.

"It's okay Mika-Chan. Eri-Chan took good care of me. He sang to me too. I'm his sunshine!"

The women in front of us instantly lost all of her angry and the tension between us dissipated. I knew she was remembering when our mother sang us that song, but after her death it became like a smack in the face, an instant reminder of her death and all the pain that came with it. When I met her eyes, there was only sadness, but I had shared that song with Yui and Mikasa knew that meant I would do anything for her, even potential kidnapping.

"Eren…" Her arms dropped to her sides and see looked at me, a question in her eyes. I nodded to her.

"You're so stupid," but she smiled, all of her anger gone. She held her arms out and I gave her Yui. We pushed through the crowd, again the noise grew. I was done with this people; they had probably woken up after the nursery, yelling over each other like they were.

I stopped and gestured for Mikasa to go ahead.

I waited until they had made it most of the way to the play room, then struck a high squealing sound that should never be heard by human ears, but it shut up the growing mob.

I glared at them, and a few of them flinched away from me. "Get back to work. She's fine."

I turned on my heel and followed Mikasa and Yui down the hall.

I walked toward the playroom door, I heard Mikasa speaking. "He just loves her that much."

I opened the door to see Yui playing with a couple other girls; and I turned to see Mikasa and Armin not far from them.

I grinned at the raven and the blonde in the room, "You're right, I do."

* * *

"I love Late Start Monday."

"That's only because you get to sleep in." The blonde beside me looked reproached. He didn't like Monday's because we started school at 10, they threw off his schedule. Plus, if there was one thing Armin had to have, it was a perfect schedule.

I was surprised that he had stayed my friend this long, considering how I was _always _late. I smiled at myself. Being late was probably one of my best attributes but then again, it's not a skill most people are happy to have.

"Wipe that smirk of your face, Jeager." The tall brunet sat opposite me, beside Armin, and you could see the slight pink tinge to Armin's skin growing red at his ears.

"Armin, are you sure you're okay? You always look feverish to me." Armin's pinkness grew darker at Jean's words, and he curled into himself.

Chin to chest, shoulders pulled up to his ears, and hands between his legs. If you didn't know better you'd think Armin was afraid but I knew better, Armin had been in love with Jean for years, but Jean hadn't liked anyone but Mikasa since middle school.

I didn't have a problem with him being gay either, it just fit him. When we were younger; he, Mikasa and I would play house, but instead of being a brother, or a dog, he always wanted to be the wife, and we let him because he fit it so well.

"I'm fine, thank you Jean." His voice was barely audible.

"You sure?" You could see that Armin was about to say 'Yes', but suddenly Jean gripped Armin's chin in his fingers and turned his head to touch his own forehead to Armin's. Jean's eyes were closed and he was breathing normally. He seemed to be genuinely concerned about Armin.

Armin on the other hand was _not _breathing normally. His breath came in shallow pants and his eyes were straining in their sockets, the pupils dilated to pin-points. I shore he would faint if he didn't find some sort of normality in his breathing, but when Jean opened his eyes they both turned into statues.

They stayed like that for:

2 seconds.

3 seconds.

4.

Now I was staring, glancing between the two.

7 seconds.

None of us were breathing.

8 seconds.

"You know, scientist say that you must stare someone in the eye for eight seconds for the feeling of '_True Love'_ to take its place." And of course only _she_ would know that.

"Mrs. Hanji!" Armin had scrambled up right at her words, nearly knocking Jean from his seat. He then started gathering his tray from the lunch table.

She laughed at Armin's reaction but said nothing, continuing on her way with a visible 'spring' to her step.

Armin glanced between me and Mrs. Hanji, and I shrugged. He shook his head and starting walking away, but Jean caught his wrist, standing slightly. Jean looked like his was going to say something and you could see the blush that started in his ears. He let go of Armin's wrist and walked in the other direction.

* * *

_Crap, was I late!_

I was sprinting down the street. Today was the day I was suppose to meet Yui and her mom Angelia, and I was late. Thanks to Mr. Charles, my chemistry teacher. I had fallen asleep in his class and he decided to make me right a paper about the _"goodness of getting a full night's rest so you didn't in class"_ and I quote.

Now I was running into the hospital, and skidded past Krista barreling down the hall, not even bothering to sign in. It could wait.

_82. 82. _My eyes swept over the room numbers. Krista had told me yesterday that was where they had scheduled for Yui and her mother's day together, and that I should see George outside the door. He was the security guy; he was in charge of the door so no one would step in on a private conversation.

_There! _

I stopped in front of door 82, where was George?

I looked down both sides of the hall, nothing. Returning my attention to the closed door in front of me, I knocked softly. No response. I knocked again, louder this time.

The door opened.

"Sorry Eren, I was in the other room.

I smiled, my anxiety gone, "No problem."

I stepped around him and made my way to the other door in the room. Yui and her mother had probably eaten dinner and moved into the sitting area while I wasn't here.

I set my hand on the door. I had been worrying about this all day. What was I supposed to say? I should introduce myself right? I didn't even know what Angelia looked like. What if she didn't like me? Could she keep me from seeing Yui? Yui was my world; I'd die if that happened.

I took a deep breath and stepped inside the door.

Empty.

The room was empty.

The curtains by the open window fluttered in the cold breeze.

_Why would the window be open?_

My anxiety returned. I poked my head out of the window and then, I saw my world being carried down the street in the arms of a woman.

Yui's green eyes were beacons of fear so great that I could hear her screaming in my own head.

The woman was running down the street, taking my world from me.

Right from underneath my fingers.


	5. Chapter 5

YAY! Early update! xD

Okay so i have a lot to explain about myself.

First off, I know my pets, I know. Levi is not here. I didn't intend for him to stay away for so long but i needed this plot build up, So he stayed away, and his still not here, but he'll be here next week I promise!

I truly appreciate my fellow authors at the moment. I had no idea that writing and updating like this would be so hard, but with my update day changed to Sunday, I know ill do better! yay!

And finally i just have to give a huge shout out to my AMAZING WONDERFUL AWESOME SPECTACULAR BETA YaOiPrInCeSs16! i love you darling. :)

So now as a finally note enjoy, And Im Sorry For Crushing All Of Your Hopes And Dreams

* * *

Chapter 5

**_Eren's P.O.V._**

I stumbled head first through the window and somehow landing in a low crouch.

Someone tripped over me and said: "Stupid kid!"

"I'm sorry!" Was all I yelled before I ran down the street. I had lost sight of Yui in the hustle and bustle of downtown Trost. _Where would they go? Do I even know?_

Well, I knew why Angelia took Yui. She wanted her daughter back and it was understandable, but why did she do it _this_ way? She could have fought for Yui in court, pleaded for more time with her daughter, why kidnapping? Did she know there was no way for her to have Yui again? Or was something worse going to happen?

My heart was beating hard in my chest; faster and faster and almost painfully. I stopped dead on the street and clutched at my skin that separated me from the heart that beat inside my chest. I was on my knees, I couldn't breathe, and my heart felt like it was being crushed.

_You'll find her Eren, but you have to hurry. Yui is running out of time._

I sucked in a breath as my mind was released from the black veiled that had covered it. _Mom? _Was it her? It felt like her, but is it possible to feel someone's presence in your head? But she's dead, so how could I hear her in my head?

_Go Eren._

I sat back on my heels and sighed. I closed my eyes for a moment to gather myself, and when I opened them, I let my heart lead me to Yui.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**_Yui's P.O.V._**

The street was cold. I didn't know where Mama was taking me, but she said we'd be safe. I just had to be quiet. I could be quiet.

Mama is scared, but I don't know why. When she came to see me today, she was smiling and she was very nice, but as soon as the large man who had let us into the room had left, Mama picked me up, opened the window and jumped out. We were already half a block from the hospital before I could hear that she was talking to me.

"Now you listen to me Yui. You're going someplace new and safe. As soon as I get you there, you will have to behave. Remember; listen to the adults and the children who are older than you. Do everything they say, and I don't care what it is. And then I'll be back for you as soon as I can."

"You're not coming with me?" My voice shook. Where was she going?

"No, Yui. I have important things I have to do. I won't be long; it's just a few days. They'll be nice to you, these new people. You won't have to worry about anything."

"But why can't I stay at the hospital, with Eri-Chan and the others?" I tried to keep the whine from my voice, but she must have heard it.

"You'll do as I say Yui! I won't have you taken care of by those people!" There was a word that I'd heard a nurse say once: malice. That's what my mother's tone was, and it was filled with malice.

I quieted at her outburst, but not because I was scared of her. Something else had caught my attention. Eri-Chan's head was hanging out the window, and he stared down the street at me, making me tense. I wished I could scream _'Help me!'_ but that would earn a slap from Mama. So I stayed quiet. I was good at quiet.

The side of a building blocked my view of him. _Eren, please help me. I don't want to go._

I closed my eyes to keep from crying, Mama can't know; she can't. If she were to know I had loved the people at the hospital, I would never be able to go back. I loved Eren and Mikasa, and I wanted to meet Armin, but I hadn't gotten too. I loved Krista, and Connie, and Sasha. I loved everyone, was that wrong? Was it wrong to love everyone? Mama always said so. She said that's why I never met Daddy because he didn't love Mama, so he left.

I could feel my heart shrinking in my chest. It did no good to love. The things you love get taking from you always. Mama was the only one I could love, and she always came back. I would never see the rest of them again, and that's how it always was. When me and Mama left, we never came back.

The darkness in the alleyways made it hard to see, but it didn't matter. Mama said it was safe and I had to believe her.

_What if you stopped believing? _A part of me wanted to answer that question but I knew better. Mama was safe. I could trust Mama.

Mama was slowing to a walk now. I tried to look down the way we'd come, for some sort of sign. _Is anyone going to find me? No they won't. Don't hope like that._ I mentally shook myself. _Stop thinking._

And so I did. I barely recognized the darkness around me as we stepped into a building.

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**_Eren's P.O.V._**

_How far could they have gone?_

I was lost now.

I had walked to a part of Trost I'd never cared to enter before. Yes, Mikasa and I lived in the lower part of town, but we didn't live in the Depot. We had good neighborhoods where we lived but the Depot is where the criminals were.

My gut had nearly up heaved itself at the thought of why Yui was being taken here. I nearly turned around but Yui was in there, and it _felt _right being here. Like I couldn't go anywhere else, like no matter where I went, or how far I walked, I would end up back here, in front of the secluded door. It was almost like a sappy love story, but something told me I couldn't venture forth without thinking, but how could I not? Yui, my little girl, was in there, and I would get her out come hell or high water. I just hope I wasn't too late.

Opening the door was easier than it looked. The hinges were oiled and despite its ragged appearance, it was solid. The step inside the door was another question. It led to a set of stairs that looked as though they'd had as much neglect as the door had care but stepping forward, they didn't give out at my weight, which was good enough for me.

I climbed down the stairs, taking in my surroundings. A chandelier hung from a wire swinging in a draft from one of the holes in the room. It looked exactly how a neglected, probably criminal infected building, was suppose too. The once beautiful room was easily lost with all of the filth smeared on the walls: food and other suspicious liquids. I wasn't going to get closer to inspect it either. At least the air was breathable. It smelled faintly of urine but with so many holes in the building, the summer breeze easily found its way in.

You couldn't say the same to the lower area, for the stairwell lead down two flights before I heard noise coming from the bottom. Moving as quietly as I could, I crept down the stairs.

"I don't care, you have to take her."

"I can't Angelia, she's too young. I won't make money off of her. Not even the worst pedophile will take her. She's got no experience. " My breath started coming faster. Yui was going to get sold as a _sex slave_?

"So get her experience. _'I start them out early'_ . Isn't that what you said? I need the money, James. I'm out of my supplies."

"And it's not my fault you're a crack head again. Find another way to get your fix." Now I could feel my rage boiling. I can't believe I wanted to meet this woman. She was selling her _only daughter _so she could have drug money, and I had _respected_ her. How could my beautiful Yui come from _scum_ like her?

Reaching near the bottom of the stairs, my eyes immediately locked on the two figures across the room, and I wanted to wring their necks. My rage was loud enough to phase my vision and the railing I was holding on to cracked slightly, but what rage I felt dissipated when my eyes found the small blonde at the bottom of the stairs.

Yui.

**XXXXXXXXXX **

**_Yui's P.O.V._**

Eren. Eri-Chan was here. How? It wasn't possible. _It's your head Yui._ But he kept staring and when he crept down one more step, I crept up one to meet him. His arms weaved around my shoulder and he pulled me close to him. I clutched at his shirt, and that shriveled heart inside of me grew. _Eri-Chan found me._

"HEY! Who are you?!" I pulled back from Eren, and looked across the room to the former line-backer who was barreling across the small area.

Eren picked me up and slung me over his shoulder. He was then bounding up the stairs: three and four at a time. I lifted my head to keep from banging my nose against his shoulder blade. We were on the street now and James wasn't far behind.

He stopped suddenly and pulled a black, clunky object from his jacket.

A gun.

He pointed the gun toward me, or Eren. He pointed the gun at us.

"No! Don't James!" Mama came out from the building and flung herself at James, the gun went off and Eren cried out.

Eren started to fall.

**XXXXXX **

**_Eren's P.O.V._**

The pain lanced up from my leg; my calf I think. I was on my face and the pain making me black out for a few seconds at a time.

"Eren! Get up, please!" Yui. I have to save her. I have to get her home, to the hospital. She didn't deserve this sort of treatment. I tried to push myself to my knees, but my body wouldn't obey.

"Eren! Please!" She was crying now. _Get yourself up Eren. _ I struggled against my limp arms and the pain that decided to shoot up through my leg again and again. I focused on something else and I could hear Angelia and James behind us. They were screaming and I heard Angelia yell out.

Yui was tugging at my hand as I moved to my good knee and struggled to get my feet beneath me. Having to use the building next to me to hop on to my leg, Yui was running in front of me and pulling me along, crying and just wanting to get to the street; to get help. I was hopping on my good leg as fast as I could but it wasn't enough.

The street came into view as we started to turn the corner. But the ring of the gun ran through the air, and Yui twisted with agony as the world slowed down. We were both falling. Her small body reaching the ground before me, and when I landed next to her I could feel the blood run by my face as it turned my world red.

**XXXXXX **

Bright lights stared down at me as I tried to gain some sort of my bearings. I turned my head to left to see a small body next to me. I could feel the motion of movement underneath me now.

"Eren! Oh god, Eren." Mikasa. I turned my head towards the voice and found Connie there as well.

"It's alright Eren. You're going to be fine. You're at the hospital." Connie answered my unspoken question and it was good too. I didn't think I could talk. My tongue felt swelled in my mouth and there was the taste of blood heavily along with it.

It turned my head back to the side with the small figure, and seeing the red sprout from the body lunched me back into my memories.

I bucked upward. "Yui! Oh my God, Yui! Say something!"

"Eren stop! You're going to hurt yourself!" Someone said the words but I ignored them.

"We're losing her! We need her in ER ASAP!" And the gurney next to me sped up and I caught sight of lifeless green eyes before the view was lost to me completely.

**XXXXXXX**

"Boy, you'd better wake up. I don't have time to dawdle with you."

Hallow eyes stared down at me as I was startled from whatever blackness I had come from. With a bald head and wrinkled forehead, the random addition of a gouty seemed slightly miss-placed. The suit he wore was crisp, unwrinkled and black. My eyes slid over the shiny gold name plate, _'Keith Shadis'_.

"Ah, we have eyes. Can you hear too?" His voice was gruff, demanding, and hard from overuse. I immediately answered with a nod of my head, but stopped as a crippling pain shot through my head and neck. I groaned and tried to clutch at my head but found one of my wrist restrained. A metal circle trapped my wrist.

"Sorry son, we had to. We didn't know how you were involved with that girl and all the bullet wounds."

I was trying to understand what he meant when the pieces clicked into place. I was hand-cuffed to the gurney, and they thought I was a dangerous suspect that had kidnapped Yui, and why wouldn't they? I did it yesterday. Or was it the other day? What time was it?

I swallowed and tried to get moisture into my mouth. Opening my mouth, I was only able to croak on the words I meant to say.

A cold glass was set to my lips, and I opened my mouth to drink the water greedily. My eyes shifted from the man by my side to a quieter man, his face familiar and comforting.

"Pixis-sama."

"Good Eren. Glad to see you're up."

"What happened?"

The hollowed eyed man answered me. "We received a call at roughly 8:37 p.m. saying that there had been three gun shots in the area, and a few minutes later a call saying that an older gentlemen stumbled upon two children: one an adolescent and the other a child, seriously injured. He relayed to the police his position and we as the authorities took you to the closest hospital, which happened to be the one that called in an hour before saying a patient and two visitors went missing."

"Three gun shots? There should only have been two."

"No, three," He ticked them off on his fingers. "One for you in your left leg, it shot cleanly through and you will be bed-ridden for a few days to allow muscle to heal. The second for the blond child, Yui, and the third for her mother."

"Yui! What happened to Yui?"

"As the chief of this investigation I have deemed that information to be inaccessible to the public."

"And who are you?" I wanted to lunch myself at him, and he couldn't keep that information from me, I had saved her! "I'll have you know that I didn't hurt Yui. A man named James did. Her mother stole Yui from the hospital and dragged her to him to be sold as a sex slave. I had been following them, and I found her. And when we tried to escape, he pulled out a gun and shot at us."

"Why did her mother do this?"

"For drugs. She was an addict before and I guess she couldn't stay clean." I shrugged my shoulders, indifferent.

"And are you sure of this information?"

"Yes, Goddamnit! I heard it myself! Now just let me go and let me see Yui!"

"Eren, calm down." The low drawl of Pixis's voice made me turn my head to him, but I continued to struggle pointlessly against the metal handcuffs.

"Why? Why can't he tell me? I almost got killed out there, I could have gotten killed. Where is she? I just want to know, is that so hard? Where is she?!" My voice was climbing higher, and higher. I was shrieking by the time I was done.

"Because she's **dead** Eren!" The man yelled my biggest fear, and I hadn't even thought of it as a possibility.

And my world dropped out from under me.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello everyone, Thank for being so understanding last week, I was so afraid of getting hate mail. :) But im back and i should be fine, Im regulating my schedule to fit with all the changes.

Alright I have a surprise for you! Levi's Here! Yay! Yes he's finally made his appearance and we actually get to see the story through Levi's eyes, Yes we switch to Levi's point of view during the chapter!

okay just a bit of a warning, for some inside things. The lyrics that Eren remembers are the second verse to _You Are My Sunshine _in case you didnt know and the 'Galor' is just galore, but i liked Galor better, but it just means the rich side of town. And Eren is talking to himself a lot in this one so im sorry if you get confused.

Oh and im sorry about the horrible ending place, but I was at six pages so..

Okay, with that being said - Enjoy! xD

* * *

Chapter 6

**_Eren's P.O.V._**

I got to carry in her casket. It was so light, but I feared I would stumble under all of its' weight. It held _everything:_ my hopes, my dreams, my past, my future, my destiny, my reality, my Yui. All of it fitted inside a three foot box. Stained and smooth, but nothing special. The hospital couldn't afford anything special for this orphaned girl. She had no home, no family, no one to claim her. There would be no last name on her tombstone, ever.

But she was _so_ prefect at the viewing, with her pick-blonde hair done up in springy ringlets and it had gotten so long. Someone had put blush and lip gloss on her face; returning some of its pinkness and making her _look_ alive. She could have been sleeping if her forehead hadn't been so cold when I kissed her.

I don't remember much about the reception. Not many came except for Mr. Pixis, the hospital staff that had charge of her, Mikasa, Armin, Connie, Sasha and me. About 19 in total. No one offered great words of remembrance for this little girl of nine, not even me.

Mikasa held my hand through all of the ceremonies. Though I couldn't tell if she did it for my sake, or for hers.

"Eren, come on. Let's go home." The burial was over, and the people were leaving. I hadn't even realized we had left the church.

I turned to stare blankly at the women in front of me, though not truly focusing. "You go. I'll be home soon."

"Eren-."

"Mikasa, please! I just need time alone." I was short tempered. "Just go."

The woman bit her lip, and her chin quivered but she nodded and turned to grab Armin's hand and drag him down the slope to the car.

I don't know how long I stood by her grave. I was remembering her. Her green eyes; her innocent smile. I remembered Yui's room in the hospital was pink. The color was everywhere. On her pillows, her sheet, her walls, her drawings, and she always wore pink. It looked good on her too. I think anything would, but it made her stand out. This little burst of color in all of the dullness in the hospital.

But now I was remembering just how close pink is to red. Red, as it sprouted from her back, as it coated my closed eyes and drained it out of her; leaving me with nothing.

I was on the ground before her grave. My sobs coming in great heaves.

I was remembering her death. And then I was remembering lyrics.

_The other night dear, while I was sleeping._

_I thought I held you in my arms._

_When I awoken, I was mistaken._

_So I bent my head, and cried._

_"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine."_ The tears I had held back came rushing out, leaving me breathless, but I had to do this, for Yui.

_"You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know just how much I love you. _Please don't take my sunshine away," I whispered the last words to my hands. There was no one around to hear them, and I knew that no God could return her to me. I looked down at her grave and I felt the fresh dirt that laid over it; wishing that I could dig through the layers and take her in my arms.

"I'm sorry, Yui! I'm so sorry! I meant to save you, but I couldn't! I can't save anyone! You didn't deserve to die that way! I want to be stronger! I should've been stronger!"

I yelled and yelled. Yelled until my throat hurt and my voice was rasping.

"I love you, Yui."

**_XXXXXXXXXX_**

There was a fog, and it was very thick. It may have been in my head, or it might have been the weather finally turning from rain to snow.

_Was it cold?_ I can't tell. I don't remember putting on a jacket. If I did, it wasn't able to keep off the chill that enclosed my heart.

_Where was I going? _I don't even know myself. I was able to follow my heart to Yui before, but there was no Yui anymore. There was only a body.

_Was I noticed by people?_ Like I cared. They were nothing compared to the ache I felt as it dragged down every part of my body. _Or was it the cold again? _I hope it freezes over every inch of my body, maybe then the pain will be greater then I flashes of Yui's smiles in my mind.

_I was walking, right?_ I can't feel my feet or my legs. I'm trapped up here, in my mind. Being tortured by things I simply can't change, but I will forever try to change the outcome of that day.

_And why couldn't you save her? _Because I've never been able to save anyone, why start with her?

It was a sneer in my head. I cackled at my own private joke: cruelly, loudly, and uncontrollably. To others I was laughing at nothing. To me I was laughing in the face of God, telling Him: "I knew all along I wouldn't be able to save her! So _hah_, jokes on you!" But it wasn't true. I had really hoped I could save her for once in my life. _Why couldn't she be the first one for me to save? _Soon my cackles turned into tears.

The wind blew, and I was shoved left and right. I tripped over things and got back up again. Walking, just walking, and always walking.

It was darker now, and I can't see very well but the bright lights from the tall shining buildings blinded me. _How far have I walked? _It wasn't far enough. I wasn't going back _there._ Back to the hospital, back to the memories.

Memories of Yui.

I eventually tripped; landing in a cold half melted puddle of snow. The liquid ran around me, making me shiver not because of the cold but because of the memories of blood, always blood. It ran down my face, soaked my shirt, and it even coated my tongue; making me choke. Choke on my breath and on something only in my memories.

_Let hell take me, I don't care anymore. And heaven's never been an option._

I was blacking out. My eyes drifting shut, probably never to open again. But then, my eyes were drawn to slits, and I saw pristine black boots, dusted with snow, step up to me.

**_XXXXXXXXXX_**

**_Levi's P.O.V._**

"This kid is fuckin' stupid." This is what I mumbled to myself as I easily lifted the boy from the snow. He looked familiar, and I hated that I couldn't place him so of course, I picked him up and carried him into my home.

_I'm going to look like a pedo to anyone walking by._

He looked probably 17 or 18, and he didn't weight nearly enough as he should for his height. _Lucky bastard got past the 5' 5" mark._

I threw him over my shoulder so I could open the door, slipping off my shoes in the corridor before the living room. Walking farther into the house, I swore. I had forgotten to turn the heater on so the usual 72 degree house was now as cold as the outside air.

I had planned on leaving the kid on the fucking floor until he woke up, but now that was just downright cruel, and at the moment I had no reason to be cruel to him.

I liked to think of myself as a decent person, I was just easily annoyed and I didn't show a lot of emotions, no big deal. I just wasn't expressive. I was expressive on screen thought, when I needed to be, so I guess that makes up for my usual behavior.

I laid the kid down on my black leather couch and picked up the nearby throw blanket to cover him. There wasn't anything else I could do really so I left him be and went to turn up the heat.

Once that was done, I walked into the kitchen to start a batch of coffee. I would need to call Erwin. He would wonder why I hadn't shown up to the set. Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I dialed his number.

"Where the fuck are you?"

"On the moon. Where do you think asshole, I'm at home."

"Why?" His voice was cool, almost sensual but you would have to know him like I do to know that he was mad.

"Something came up. We'll do the shoot tomorrow." I hung up the phone and shut it off immediately. Erwin would call back. He would probably show up here too, but I always lock the door.I have no spare key, and I wasn't going to answer when he did come.

The aroma of coffee was filling the room, and I left its sweet smell to climb the stairs to my lofty second story. I stared out the wall of windows to see the dusting of snow beginning on the deck outside. I changed from the suit I had been wearing to a pair of black sweats and a v-neck. I stopped to straighten wrinkles in my shirt. I _hated_ wrinkles but my mind became occupied by other things when a scream and the sound of glass crashing came from down stairs.

I rushed downstairs and to the living room where the boy that I had carried in my house was smashing his head into my glass coffee table. It was cracking at the force of which he threw his head. His screams weren't something of pain, well they were of pain, but not his own. He screamed a long wailing sound, and as he ran out of breath I realized it was a word. The word, _dead._ And he started it over again, and there were more words, _'Why am I not dead!_' and he threw his head forward.

I was running toward him now. I wouldn't be able to stop him from smashing his head again, so I grabbed the other side of the coffee table and pulled it toward me, making him miss. Then I threw myself at him and locked him against my chest.

He struggled and continued to scream but I didn't know what to do.

So I held him there, and tried to keep my own demons at bay.

**_XXXXXXXXXX_**

**_Eren's P.O.V_**

It was the smell that hit me first. The smell of cloves, coffee and fresh laundry. At was familiar scent that I smelled before but _where?_

Smoky gray eyes, black combat boots, and a French tie. They added to the pieces until it became a picture: a picture of Levi. And now new things were added: a sullen voice, hard muscles and arms that were wrapped around me.

My throat was raw, and something was wet against my head.

"Are you done?" A sullen voice, Levi's voice.

I drew back from him and he stared at me with bored, moving gray eyes. And then there was blood which was on his shirt and I could see it drip across my eye. Then I remembered that I was supposed to be dead, that I should have been dead. People like me, we shouldn't be alive.

"Why should people like you be dead?" I had said my words aloud and Levi had heard them, but he wouldn't understand. He didn't know my pain, my loss. He didn't know Yui.

I dropped my head to the floor. "Because people like me can't save anyone. I should have _saved_ her! Why couldn't I!? Will I be able to save anyone?! What if it's Mikasa, or Armin!?"

"Kid, calm down, I don't know what you're talking about. Who couldn't you save?" I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Remember Levi? I'm no _knight-in-shining armor_." I laughed at that, it was a harsh sound. "And it doesn't matter anymore; she's dead. No one will bother to remember her, nothings left of her. It's just a body and it's all gone… My Yui is… Gone..." The liquid came before I gave them permission. Slender fingers wiped at the tears on my cheeks, and again I looked up to smoky gray eyes. However, Levi's jaw was set, and there was a fire alight behind the cool gray, turning his eyes from smoke to slate.

"Who's Yui?" I jerked myself away from him, but he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.

"_Who's_ _Yui_?"

"Why should I tell you? You wouldn't understand." He wouldn't let me go, and his stare was intense enough that I felt as though he would and could understand. I dropped my eyes from his and he released my jaw, but I didn't move away from him. I simply dropped my head into my hands and he was the one that moved away.

I looked up to see him in the kitchen, and started opening cupboards and filling a mug with a dark liquid.

"You want some coffee?" He drawled and glanced over at me for a moment.

"I don't drink coffee." I stood and walked towards him. He gave me another pointed look, but said nothing.

Levi filled a glass with water and slid it across the island towards me. "Sit."

I pulled out a bar stool from under the lip of the counter and sat down. He had taken one of the stools from the side and moved it so he sat around the side, with the corner between us. Of all the experiences I had with Levi, none of them had been good.

We stared at one another, with Levi being indifferent. I don't know what I looked like, but his look changed. I didn't know how I knew, but he looked expectant now. And one of his eyebrows rose slightly up his face.

I glanced at other things in the room, the counters were impeccably clean. The only thing that sat on them was the coffee maker. The kitchen was colored in soft blues and grays, the color of Levi's eyes.

I let my eyes wander and when they finally returned to his; he was still watching me expectantly. I sighed, "Yui was someone who was very special to me… Her mother kidnapped her four days ago and when I tried to save her, she ended up being shot and killed…"

"Why was it your responsibility to save her?"

"It – it wasn't. It was…" I stumbled for what to say. Yui had never been my _responsibility. S_he had just taken to me as I had to her.

Yui became everything to me and I couldn't even tell you when it happened. It _just _happened, and that bond began to grow. I took care of her like she was family, like a daughter. No one of high authority had told me to take care of her.

"She wasn't my responsibility, but at the same time she was. No one told me to take care of her, it just happened." I shrugged my shoulders. There was no way to explain it. Yui was mine, and I was Yui's. That was it. I don't know why I was explaining it to him in the first place, and it's not like he would care.

"Look, I appreciate all this but I need to get home."

"How?"

"I'll walk. It can't be that far."

"And where do you live?"

"Ahh…by the Depot..." I was reluctant to tell him that; afraid he'd discriminate me because of it.

"You're in Galor, on the other side of it. That's 20 miles, and its one in the morning. I'll take you home tomorrow. You can take the couch, but you'll need a shower first." His hand reached out to drag at my eyebrow, pulling away dried blood. "I'll probably have to patch that up too. You're just fuckin' inconvenient."

I flinched away from his hand and looked at him indifferently. I went to open my mouth to say something snarky and refuse his offer, but he had left and I turned to see his retreating back going up the stairs.


	7. Chapter 7

Hello. :)

Okay so first things first, guys trigger warning. HEMOPHOBIA, fear of blood.

k um so this is the other half to the horrible chapter. and it switches between Eren and Levi's POV and thats about it.

Um, Levi is fond of Jeans and Dress Shirts, and he has a cat, The cat breed is Bombay, and he is called Ombre which is french for shadow. :)

And this chapter is very short, sorry for that.

* * *

Chapter 7

**_Eren's P.O.V._**

_'Oomph!' _I sat up, gasping, trying to pull air into my forcibly deflated lungs. Coughing, I stared down at a slender black cat that had decided to place itself directly on my bladder, not the best place to be first thing in the morning. It stared right back at me; yellow eyes squinted, like I was an intruder. It raised a large black paw, and hissed savagely. I reach out a hand and the cat swiped at me; claws digging into my tender flesh, drawing blood.

_Blood._

I stared at the red substance as it slowly dripped down my pointer finger and onto my palm, leading a path to the crest in my wrist before pooling and dripping on to the blanket that covered my now sweating form.

My head spun and I was falling sideways, sprawling onto the floor. _Run, get away from it. _I could smell it, coppery and its sticky sweet smell logged in my throat, choking out my screams. My breathing came in shallow pants and I couldn't see in front of me, my eyes were darkening, and I didn't fight against my body, as it gave out.

**_XXXXXXXXXXXX_**

**_Levi's P.O.V._**

The alarm rang at precisely 5:15 a.m. giving me 45 minutes to shower, dress, feed the cat, feed myself and get to the shoot. At least that's what I would've done if I hadn't had a house guest. I realized why he had looked familiar; he was the kid who had disrupted the shoot last week. It had been so hard to tell the broken, pasted out boy I'd found from the cocky, rambunctious asswipe that had decided he could use my first name.

What disappointed me most was that I should've realized who he was, and I should never had brought him into this house, he was jeopardizing my assignment. I needed to get him out of here as quickly as possible; he could not be found with me. Eren Jeager; the boy was not suppose to know certain things, not yet.

I tugged on a pair of jeans and pulled out in elegant dress shirt, quickly doing up the buttons and rushing down stairs.

I stopped at the bottom of the stairs and retrieved a small can of cat food, opening and dutifully putting it on the dish for Ombre. He patted over to me and rubbed affectionately against my legs.

"Good morning. Have you hurt Eren yet?" My cat was notorious for being reproachful to strangers and I didn't think he would be nice to Eren in the slightest.

I was right. Walking into the living I saw the boy tangled in the green comforter I had giving him, past out on the floor. You could see his right hand had three precise markings a cross the top, they stood out on his tightly clenched hand, his eyes darting left and right under closed lids, his breathing rapid.

_What was wrong with him? _

I crouched beside him and shook his shoulder, trying to stir him from his dream, or nightmare. He gasped awake. "Yui, Run! Run" –

"Oi! Calm down, actually _see _Eren. It's just a dream." His teal green eyes trapped mine as he tried to recall where he was. I pulled his hair back to look at the growing bruise on his forehead and the tight neat stitches a crossed he forehead. He probably should've gone to the hospital but I didn't think he'd be able to handle something like that emotionally. He had said he wasn't nauseous or dizzy when I had dragged him upstairs to take proper care of the self inflicted wound on his forehead. So I had stitched it myself, like a said, 'A fucking inconvenience.'

"Levi…"

"That's right, and this is Ombre," referring to the slick, black cat that had decided to lay a crossed my knee. "And you're at my house, after breaking your head on my coffee table."

He nodded, obviously not remembering, "Now get up off the fucking floor." I stood and strode purposefully to the kitchen, grabbing protein shakes and granola bars. Moving towards the edge of the kitchen to toss a bar and bottle to Eren.

"Oi, catch." I had actually tossed the bottle _and _granola bar before giving my warning; Eren swiftly caught both, one after the other with his right hand. But instead of putting his hand down like you'd expect, he stared at the back of his hand. His pupils dilated and he breathing stopped. His face went white as he dropped onto his knees.

"Brat, what are you doing?" He swayed and I stepped rapidly forward to catch him. I picked up his hand to see what had disturbed him, only his cut was there, the rest of his skin was remarkably unblemished, _the blood_. He was scared of the blood. Hemophobia, understandable, he'd seen someone murdered.

"Eren, look at me. You're having in anxiety attack, you need to breathe." I sucked in a large amount of breath, reminding him what it was to breathe. He copied my movement and the breathed out, he repeated the movement several times, and his pupils returned to what could be deemed a normal size.

"Has this happened before?" He nodded at me feebly. "Right, so now you know." I stood up and tugged him a long with me. "You know, Eren, whatever you think about Yui its wrong." I said this matter of factually, knowing where his thoughts were.

"It's wrong? No, wrong is the murder of a helpless nine – year – old girl who was getting her life back just to have it ripped out from under her. Wrong is the fact that the bastard didn't go to jail, and that his money got him out. Wrong is the fact that her _mother _caused it. Those things are wrong, I would never be wrong about Yui." He voice was hard, defensive, but he wasn't looking at me. He was trying to convince himself more than me.

"Then why are you doing this to yourself, she's dead. You can't change that."

"I know! But what else am I suppose to do? I can't just leave her… If I leave her, then there won't be a _Yui _anymore."

"Yui isn't gone, and she hasn't gone 'Poof'. She's still here," I pointed to his head. "And she's still here." I pointed at his heart. "Always."

"Grief destroys, Eren, you can only be in it for so long."

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

**_Eren's P.O.V._**

I took small bites out of the granola bar, I was completely ignoring the protein shake, it was hard enough to eat a fourth of the grainy substance in my hand. It stuck in my paper dry mouth; I couldn't make any moisture, so talking was impossible. I think that was for the best, Levi hadn't said anything since we had gotten in the car and it wasn't until we were passing into downtown Trost that I found the words to say, weather they were of my own volition, I didn't know.

"You can let me out here; I'll make it to my house." Levi glanced at me through the corner of his eye.

"No."

"I can" -

"Eren, you broke down at my house, twice to be in fact. I should tell your parents so you don't do something stupid, heaven knows you will." He rolled his eyes and returned his sight to the road.

I averted my glaze and mumbled, "I don't have any parents."

I thought I felt the car jerk slightly but when I looked to Levi, he was perfectly composed. The light blue button-down he was warring was neatly pressed and it strained around his shoulders, it didn't seem fair that he was so muscular yet slender, like a snake. _Yeah, like a snake. _

"What's like a snake?" Levi's eyes narrowed as I stared back at him.

"I said that out loud?"

"Yes, you shitty little brat."

"Ahh," I glanced away from Levi, and saw Misses Smoots apartment, "Oh, here. Pull over here."

I turned back to Levi and he gave me a suspicious look. "I promise, this is my house." I couldn't help but smile, for all of his exterior self, on the inside he cared. Even I could tell.

"Thank you Levi." Was all I said as I closed the door behind me.

I stepped into the building, knowing I was going back to what I had tried to escape.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay so update time yay!

So a little background, this AU in Nancy a town not far from the border of France and Germany, but in order to stay similar to the Manga/Anime the name will be Trost, just know that geographically Trost is actually Nancy. Strasbourg is a town that is on the border of France and Germany. This takes place in WW2, France has been taken by the Germans and the war still has 3 years before VE-Day (Victory in Europe day)

Levi will be known for talking with his cat.

And yes I used Awooga. :)

The story is finally getting a deeper plot, but because its a war and there's still three years left of it. I think were in for the long haul so please be ready. I have a feeling this Fic will be pretty long. I will start actually mapping the plot out this week, and see how many chapters we might get.

* * *

Chapter 7

_**Levi's P.O.V.**_

"Well, now I have to report this. _Tch_, dumb ass kid." I pulled away from Eren's street, leaving him staring at the doors. Whatever was waiting for him, it had better been worth wandering the streets and me picking him up out of the snow. Now I had to deal with headquarters. "_Tch._"

I parked the car by the curb and left it running. I wouldn't be here long.

Striding inside and slamming the door behind me, I was not in the mood for this crap. I opened the closet in the hall and grabbed a single black duffle bag; it has everything I need for my trip to Strasbourg.

"Ombre, I'm leaving for a few days. Hanji will look after you." I knelt down to scratch him under his chin and he gave a small purr in response.

I left and locked the door behind me.

Pulling back onto the road, I then felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I flipped it open and stuck in between my chin and shoulder while fishing for a certain object in the duffle bad.

"So are you going to explain what happened last night?"

"I found Eren in a snow pile outside my house," I replied, and Erwin sucked in a breath.

"Eren? _Eren Jeager_?"

"Yes. He had some sort of anxiety attack. I need a new coffee table; he broke his head on mine."

"How did he find you? Why did you let him in?"

"I didn't know it was him at first. He was passed out in a pile of snow outside my house when I was leaving for the shoot. I took him inside and when he woke up, he started screaming and trying to smash his head in so bad that he'd die. He wanted to _die_, Erwin. What even happened to him?"

"I'm not sure. Our records aren't that up to date."

"Then who's Yui?"

"Yui? Oh, that I do have. Let me find it." He riffled through papers, and I turned onto the highway. I found the object I had needed. It was a slick black Walther P38; a standard issue to all recruit. I slipped it into the waist band of my jeans and pulled my jacket over it.

"Here we go. Yui… Altonen, supposedly. Her mother had to give her up for adoption and Social Security relinquished her last name. She was a patient in Trost Children's hospital and she was suffering of lung cancer, and was nearly healed. Yui was scheduled for release when her mother kidnapped her from the hospital to sell her into sex trafficking for drugs. Three shots were fired at the scene: one hit Eren in the leg, and another shattered bone that pierced Yui heart, and the last bullet killed Angelia, her mother, at point blank. Eren was the only witness besides the older gentlemen who found them."

"Hm." It all still didn't make sense. Why did Eren believe that those who died had been _his_ responsibility to save?

"What happened after he smashed his head into your coffee table?" Erwin asked.

"He started ranting and freaking out. I got him to calm down, and then I patched the wound on his head before he passed out on my couch."

"That's it?"

"He has Hemophobia. I'm guessing it's because of his experience with Yui. Ombre cut his hand and every time he saw it, he seized up and started hyperventilating," Levi added.

"Ah, so a fear of blood. This isn't going to be good if we want him to join."

"He'll get over it, at least he will when I get to him. He's strong but there are definitely flaws in him."

"We don't want to scare him, Levi."

"Shut the fuck up. We need every one of those kids if we're going to win."

"We have to do this carefully. We have to know if they will even fight against the Germans before we tell them there's a resistance," Erwin stated.

"We all know there's a resistance, Erwin. We wreak enough havoc for half the world over to know."

"And I curse God every day because of it. We're supposed to keep this as _quiet_ as possible."

"You can't plan reality. As hard as you try things go wrong and we lose men every day, it's hard to keep quiet when you see people dying."

I heard Erwin sigh on the other side of the line. "So what are you doing then?"

"I'm headed to headquarters. I have to report about Eren and update his files."

"Good, so you won't be on set for the next couple of days."

"No, I won't. Why you have me as your main fucking actor is beyond me. I don't even act that well."

"But your decrepit attitude fits my characters so well."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. I'll call you if anything happens, and you'd better have Ackerman recruited when I get back." I shut the phone and threw it down on the seat beside me.

The road was mostly empty at this time of the morning, right after the rush. The trip to Strasbourg would last two hours, give or take. So I was likely to make it there well before nightfall. There was a curfew in Strasbourg because of growing unrest. Anyone who was on the streets at night was killed on sight.

I thought it was thrilling, being in battle. Yes men died, and yes some were killed by my hand. However, if you forget that, if you just let go, the adrenaline was overwhelming. It could help a man do anything; lift boulders, and withstand any injury.

It can help forget your fears.

Everyone has fears, but if you forget those fears, you can be free.

I am not free however. I haven't forgotten my fears, even with my blood pounding in my ears and my senses sharpened to pin points. Adrenaline isn't enough to block my fears. Fears are reminders of the things I have lost: the loss of my family, of my love.

I slammed down on my thoughts. _No, don't think of her. _

I forced myself to see the road in front of me, focusing in the rocks scattered over the pavement and it's used discolored surface.

Discolored, used, old, weary. That was what this world was. We needed a new world, a new society. The war was pulling everything into a black hole, where there was no longer hope. That's what the Resistance was for. We are humanity's hope, as shown by our tattoos.

Wings: one blue and one white and folded over one another. A cradle of our hope and dreams, and when we succeed, those wings will open and we will fly to our freedom.

'_Awooga!' _I jump in my seat and slam on the brakes; stopping just soon enough to not get shish kabobed by a semi-truck. I had made it to the city.

_Shit, that was fast. _

I had pulled traffic to a standstill because of my own thoughtlessness. _Oh, well. _

I pushed down on the accelerator. I was getting out of there before the police came. I was winding through the narrow streets of Strasbourg, and shortly I came to a nondescript brick building.

Pulling into the parking lot and turning off the car close to the entrance, I grabbed my bag. Walking in through the doors, I was immediately stopped and frisked (Standard procedure). I entered into a different room where a scanner awaiting and I placed my hand on it.

"Please state name, and identification number." The perky mechanical voice said.

"Agent Lance Corporal Levi, 92865."

"Access granted. Welcome to the Resistance HQ."


End file.
